A Book Blog

June 14, 2016

Blog Tour: THE KING SLAYER by Virginia Boecker {Review + Giveaway}

Review 4.5 Stars

I received an advanced copy from the publisher but it does not influence my review.

The King Slayer was one of my MOST ANTICIPATED books for 2016 because The Witch Hunter, to me, last year was one of the best books of 2015. It was funny, which had been unexpected, and it had a wonderful set of characters and story that kept me guessing. For my full review, click here.

The Book

The story picks up right where The Witch Hunter ends. I had really wanted to reread book 1 in order to prepare better for The King Slayer because I kept seeing many reviews online saying they didn’t reread and were completely confused. I ended up purchasing the audiobook (available here) and I LOVED it! It was the perfect way for me to reread. It made me fall in love with John, Elizabeth, Fifer, Schuyler, and George all over again.

Elizabeth, now a former witch hunter, is trying to figure out where she belongs. She no longer is a witch hunter but she also isn’t a witch. The magical community is also trying to decide what to do with her because to be honest, they don’t trust her. Yes she helped them save Nicolas’ life BUT she used to be a witch hunter.

Blackwell has now established himself as king and the magical community is trying to figure out how to survive. Elizabeth has decided that no matter what, she NEEDS to kill him even though she no longer has her stigma to protect her.

The Characters

What I loved about The Witch Hunter were the characters. It’s great when books have secondary characters that you love just as much (sometimes more) than the main characters. For me, this series is like that. I felt that I walked away from this book with friends, not just a story.

Elizabeth, our protagonist, is fierce, loyal, damaged and wonderful. She battles a lot with her identity in this book and I found it very relatable.

John again is my book boyfriend. I love him! Unfortunately for John, this book takes him to darker places than he had before and it is quite heart breaking.

Overall

Overall, The King Slayer was a satisfying end to this great duology. My main issue with the book was actually the ending. I found it to be a bit convenient and it didn’t appeal to my emotions. The rest of the book drew me in, but for some reason the end fell a bit flat. Other than that, the book was full of adventure, heartbreak, surprises and great characters. Since this series is only two books, I definitely recommend giving it a shot and exploring the world Virginia has created.

About the Book:

An action-packed and suspenseful sequel to The Witch Hunter, perfect for fans of Graceling and the Grisha Trilogy.“I think, in time, you’ll either be my greatest mistake or my greatest victory.”Former witch hunter Elizabeth Grey is hiding within the magically protected village of Harrow, evading the price put on her head by Lord Blackwell, the usurper king of Anglia. Their last encounter left Blackwell ruined, but his thirst for power grows stronger every day. He’s readying for a war against those who would resist his rule–namely Elizabeth and the witches and wizards she now calls her allies.Having lost her stigma, a magical source of protection and healing, Elizabeth’s strength is tested both physically and emotionally. War always means sacrifice, and as the lines between good and evil blur once more, Elizabeth must decide just how far she’ll go to save those she loves.

“Filled with everything a good fantasy book needs: swords, poison, black magic, and betrayal.”–April Tucholke, author of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, on The Witch Hunter

About Virginia:

Virginia Boecker recently spent four years in London obsessing over English medieval history, which formed the basis of The Witch Hunter. She now lives in the Bay Area, California with her husband and spends her days writing, reading, running, and chasing around her two children and a dog named George.

In addition to English kings, nine-day queens, and Protestant princesses, her other obsessions include The Smiths, art museums, champagne, and Chapstick. She is represented by the incomparable Kathleen OrtizatNew Leaf Literary & Media.

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Comments

I’ve been wanting to read your books for a while now. An my sister borrowed The Witch Hunter without asking I might add. But she calls me today and asks if I have the second book because the first book was amazing. An now I need to read these books because If my sister loved a book that’s saying a lot so I can not wait to read this series. An the covers are great.

Lovely review and blog tour post Sarah 😀 So glad you liked this book a lot. <3 YAY! Sadly, I didn't love book one, so not reading this one :p but it looks so pretty. And seems pretty interesting 🙂 Thank you for sharing your thoughts. <3